Choosing a University

There are many factors when it comes down to choosing a university, but here are my top 6 factors to look at for finding the perfect place:

1.       Distance – Does living far away from your family bother you? If you are more of a home bod, draw up a circle on a map to look at universities within that distance. The same method works for if you know that you want to go somewhere further than a certain distance from home, or not within London for example.

2.       Family Ties – Going to university in a city where you have family members can be nice. It means you have someone to reach out to in an emergency but it could also become a tie. Falling into a habit of seeing them a certain time a week with no flexibility, or being called in as baby sitter every week could get tiring. In my opinion, I was biased towards places my family don’t know so well, as to make it my place and my adventure.

3.       The Course Content – this is VITAL! You do not want to get stuck in a course that you find boring, just because you went for a university your friend is going to, or because they have good sports. Yes, university is where you’re likely to meet your lifelong friends, but you also want to learn something – preferably something you like.

4.       Facilities – if your course is very lab based, such as Biochemistry, you don’t want to go to a university where the labs are a long way off campus, or old, small or forlorn. Equally, if you were doing a subject such as English, you don’t want to go somewhere where the poetry section of the library is equal to your bedroom shelf.

5.       Hobbies – do they offer a good Orchestra, Football Team, Harry Potter Society or whatever it is that is your passion. As I said above, uni is a very social place and so you’re going to want the opportunity to meet like-minded people. Don’t choose a uni just because of this, but if it came down to two and one had the opportunity for you to express yourself, it’s a done deal.

6.       Accommodation – Do you want the opportunity to cook for yourself? Carefully look at some universities accommodation, some such as Cambridge do not have places with the facilities for their students to cook. It’s definitely worth looking into if you’re a keen cook like me. 

All the best,

Bea x

(ps. I'm loving the variety of countries I'm getting views from, so amazing to see how the internet reaches people from so far and wide!)